Legendary singer-songwriter John Sebastian to perform at Forest Grove campus on Saturday, March 13
Legendary singer-songwriter John Sebastian to perform at Forest Grove campus on Saturday, March 13
Renowned singer-songwriter John Sebastian will perform on Pacific University’s Forest Grove campus at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13 in a special installment of the University’s 2009-10 Performing Arts Series presented by Tuality Healthcare.
Sebastian’s band, The Lovin’ Spoonful, played a major role in shaping the rock music revolution of the 1960s. At the height of Beatlemania, The Lovin’ Spoonful managed an utterly unthinkable feat as its first seven singles reached the Billboard Top 10.
The band’s success initially stemmed from an ability to take older material from blues, country, folk and jug band sources – what is now termed ‘roots music’ – and make it sound modern.
Following the near-instant stardom, Sebastian then composed and sung a series of songs that perhaps sounded as if they contained the entire history of American music. Hits such as “Do You Believe in Magic?”, “Summer in the City,” and “Six O’Clock,” carried the band to new heights.
He left the band he founded in 1968 and performed as a solo artist at groundbreaking festivals like Woodstock and its English equivalent, the Isle of Wight. His involvement in music for cinema preceded his creation of a well-known television theme song in 1976, “Welcome Back,” for the sitcom “Welcome Back Kotter.” The song became a chart-topping solo record.
Sebastian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and continues to record and tour, spreading his love of American roots music. He is a staunch supporter of social, environmental and animal rights whose commentary and insight is regularly featured in the news media.
All Performing Arts Series events are held in the Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased in advance by calling (503) 352-2918 Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.
Posted by Joe Lang (jlang@pacificu.edu) on Feb 16, 2010 at 3:15 PM
